It was the perfect dress for her dream wedding - apart from the small matter of the £1,500 price tag.

Undaunted, however, bride-to-be Emma Dunn managed to get her hands on it for a mere £2.50.

The 23-year-old placed the rock-bottom bid for the Chinese-made gown on auction website eBay and was astounded when she won it.

She was even more thrilled when it turned out to be a perfect fit, and yesterday said her experience showed it wasn't necessary to spend a fortune to have a perfect wedding day.

Miss Dunn, a hotel kitchen assistant, had set her heart on an ivory satin gown with diamante beading on the bodice which she found on the internet priced at £1,500.

As that was out of reach, she found an exact copy of it on eBay with no reserve price, and waited until the last moment to put in her bid.

'There were no other bids so I thought I had nothing to lose by typing in £2.50,' she said yesterday.

'I got an e-mail back from a man in Shanghai who said he would make my dress for me, and asked for all my measurements. I thought that if the dress didn't arrive within six weeks, I would have enough time to get another.'

Five weeks later she had heard nothing and began to get worried, however.

'I was a bit nervous because I'm not very good with computers and thought I'd done something wrong,' she said.

'So I emailed to ask what was going on, and immediately received an apology - he was really busy with Chinese New Year celebrations.

'He told me the dress was on its way and wished me luck with the wedding. He was very kind and helpful.'

Bargain hunter: Emma Dunn, who bought her brand new dress on eBay for £2.50

Bargain hunter: Emma Dunn, who bought her brand new dress on eBay for £2.50

A week later the dress arrived in a Parcel Force van at her home in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, where the size six bride-to-be was delighted with her bargain.

'It was folded up nicely and neatly and it was an absolutely perfect fit,' she said. 'The postage and packing had cost £16.50 but I didn't mind paying that. People just couldn't believe it when I told them I'd bought it for £2.50.'

The bargain-hunter bride also picked up a hoop petticoat from eBay for £4.50, against a hire price of around £40.

She and partner Paul Worthington, 31, a machine technician, tied the knot on July 19 in front of 100 family and friends.

Their daughter Demi, aged 18 months, carried a flower wand which cost Emma £9.99 from eBay, while son Ashton, three, was a page boy.